Gerda Bergsma achter een bureau in een woonhuis op Sumatra 1914 - 1926

This vintage photograph captures Gerda Bergsma behind a desk in a Sumatran house. It's one of those images that feels like a glimpse into another world, another time, full of intimate details. The whole scene is rendered in black and white, of course, but it's more than that. The composition feels more about the light and shadow. You can almost feel the humidity in the air. The light coming in the windows—it’s soft but insistent, creating a sort of glow. And then there's Bergsma herself, her face calm and composed, bathed in that light. Look at the way the objects are arranged on the desk, the little table, the layers of books and papers, the lamps, and shadows. It is almost sculptural. It reminds me a bit of some of Gerhard Richter's photo paintings, where the blurriness of the image creates a sense of memory and loss. It’s an image that stays with you, like a half-remembered dream.